Entertainment Reviews:

New York Times - 05/28/1993
"...The special effects seen here are as perfect and hard-won as [Stallone's] musculature, and that's saying a lot..."

Variety - 05/24/1993
"...CLIFFHANGER lives up to is title as a two-hour rollercoaster ride that never stops from first minute to last. A high-octane action suspenser with thrilling vertiginous footage unlike anything seen before in a feature..."

Chicago Sun-Times - 05/28/1993
"...It is one of the achievements of the movie to convince us that Lithgow and Stallone are a good match....Many of the most hazardous stunts in this movie were obviously not faked..."

Product Description:

After a ranger (Sylvester Stallone) fails to rescue his partner's girlfriend from a tragic death in the Rocky Mountains, he leaves the rescue team to wrestle with his guilt. When he returns to reconcile his relationship with his own girlfriend, also a rescue ranger, he is drawn into one last mission. This time, the victims they are rescuing turn out to be deadly criminals who are hauling away a large amount of cash. Directed by Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2) and also starring John Lithgow (as the villain) and Michael Rooker. Three Academy Award Nominations including Best Visual Effects.

Plot Synopsis:

Gabe Walker is a lean, musclebound Rocky Mountain rescue professional trying to live with the memory of his unsuccessful attempt to rescue his partner's girlfriend. The partner, Hal, holds Gabe responsible for her death; with the friendship ruined and a blemished career, Gabe leaves Colorado, retreating from his home and his close friends. A year later, Gabe returns to Colorado in hopes of convincing his girlfriend Jessie to move away with him. But when a small jet crashes in the mountains, Gabe and Hal are forced to go to the aid of the survivors -- including a psychopathic British thief who has stolen $100 million in Treasury Department money. Together, Gabe, Hal and Jessie lead the group through the rough terrain on foot, protecting one another, fighting the bad guys and rebuilding their friendship along the way.

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Production Notes:

Finnish director Renny Harlin was born in 1959. He began his career making shorts and documentaries. In the 1980s, he moved to the US, and received recognition for the film "Born American (1986). But he is best known for "Die Hard 2," which enabled him to join the ranks of Hollywood's big-budget action directors.

This Tristar release received its world premiere at the Cannes festival as part of a benefit evening for the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

The "Cliffhanger" budget was $65 million dollars.

Though "Cliffhanger" is set in Colorado and partially filmed in Durango, much of "Cliffhanger" was shot in Italy near Cortina D'Ampezzo in the Alps and in Rome.